Young Runaway Slaves

Inspired by the experiences of young people working as slaves and servants within Tower Hamlets, Newham and Hackney between 1670–1800. Historian S.I. Martin and artist Jennifer Lewis worked with Year 8 pupils from Swanlea Secondary School to create a display to mark the Bicentennial of the Abolition of the Slave Trade, using historical objects, period images, newspaper reports, and original
artwork.

London was at the centre of the transatlantic slave trade from the late 1600s to the early 1800s. Britain's Black population grew throughout this period. Some were slaves. Some were free. Young Black people often worked as household slaves or servants. Many escaped enslavement and fled to the city's poorer areas. London's East End and Docklands had particularly high numbers of non-white people.

This exhibition marks 200 years since the Abolition of the Slave Trade. The display is inspired by the experiences of young people in the East End who ran away in search of freedom.

The Slave Trade in Great Britain

The movement to abolish the slave trade in Great Britain was the first mass movement in the country's history. People of all classes were involved. It was the first movement in which women were politically active.

The abolitionist campaign was famously led in parliament by William Wilberforce. He saw the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act become law in March 1807. Under this act the trafficking of slaves across the Atlantic was prohibited. Slaves in the British Empire had to wait until 1834 before the act of emancipation came into effect.

Prominent Black people living in England also participated in the anti-slavery struggle. Several of them, including Olaudah Equiano, Ottobah Cugoano and Ignatius Sancho, were former slaves and have written accounts of their experiences.

'I must observe that your country's conduct has been uniformly wicked...on the coast of Guinea. The grand object of English navigators is money-money-money. In Africa the poor wretched natives are rendered the more miserable by the Christians abominable traffic for slaves'.

Ignatius Sancho, Vol 2. Letter to Mr Jack Wingrave 1778

The Slave Trade and the British Tea Trade

Sugar was the principal export of the British Caribbean. Its production required the continuous supply of unpaid labour in the form of African slaves. It also led to the creation of a very wealthy and powerful political class who were able to use parliament and the assemblies in the Caribbean to advance their interests.

The novelty of affordable and available cane sugar also went hand in hand with the growth in popularity of caffeine-based drinks. Tea, in particular, was becoming a staple of the British diet. This new trend was at the base of the demand for goods from South Asia and the Caribbean. Men like Josiah Child of the East India Company were also investors in the slave trade. In 1691 he headed a group which owned more than 25 per cent of the Royal Africa Company stock.

Slaves from East Africa and Madagascar were used on the East India Company's pepper plantations on Sumatra. West African slaves worked their coffee plantations on St Helena. The frequent figure of a turban-wearing African boy serving hot drinks attests to the long-standing and popularly held association between the West and East Indian trades.

Slaves in Hogarth's Paintings

William Hogarth (1697-1764) was a famous English painter. He took an interest in the abolition of the slave trade. He came from a poor family background and liked to expose the immoral lifestyles of the wealthy classes in his pictures.

These two pictures by Hogarth include a young black servant. This was unusual in the early 1700s. His pictures show us how slaves were treated by their masters. Some were treated like pets or toys for the rich.

What Was It Like To Be A Slave?

The pupils from Swanlea Secondary School have tried to imagine what life was like as a slave...

"My name is Sarah. I am16 years old. I wake up in the morning, usually 5am. I have a tiny bit of porridge and then start working. At 1pm I have a bit of porridge and start working again until 7pm. Then I start the process again. I have decided to runaway because they treat me so badly. They don't give me enough food or anything at all. When I sleep I keep thinking about what is going to happen to me."

"I hate my mistress because she is selfish and rude to me. I do about ten things in a day, like washing, cleaning, cooking, mopping the floor. I wear ragged old clothes, which are ripped. I never have a day off. I stay in a room with rats and it's all dirty. I hate the life I am living. At the end of the day I am very tired and very hungry, but my mistress says 'Go to sleep this instance. Tomorrow is another day for working'."

"My name is Lorik and I am 12 years old. I work for my master who does not pay me. I have decided to run away because I know I do not deserve to be a slave. I will go anywhere where I am welcomed."

"I am 13 years old. My name is Troy. I have no idea where I am running away to because I've never been out of my master's house. I only stay in a dark small room. Every morning I wake up in the same clothes. They have never been washed. I don't have anything to eat. I have no friends, the only friends I have are two mice. I don't know anything about my parents. My parents might be dead."

"I wake everyday at four in the morning. I am expected to do the meals, the cleaning and the mail. I stay in a stable. My clothes are old and ripped. They treat me like an animal and tease me. When I ask for wages they smack me with a wooden stick. If I do something wrong, they put heavy chains around my legs and force me to do the cleaning with them trailing behind me."

"I am 12 years old. My name is Mubashir. My working day is horrible because I have to wake up at four in the morning. I have to squeeze into chimneys and clean. It is really painful to squeeze into the chimneys. I don't get anything to eat and drink until the evening. Most of the time I am hungry. If I don't do the work properly they shout at me."

Runaway Slaves

Advertisements became a common sight in daily newspapers, offering rewards for returning young runaway slaves. From the late 1600s onwards, entries for runaway slaves were also a common sight. Very detailed descriptions accompanied these notices.

Details of clothing, height, age, language spoken, complexion, noticeable scars and any name to which the slave answered were included. Collars of steel, brass, and silver were often fastened onto domestic slaves with their masters' details engraved on them.

Many of the runaways were young people. Frequently they found refuge amongst the poorer and dockside communities where other people of colour could be found. Occasionally young male slaves and servants would run away to sea. Although London did not have an established slave market, individual slaves or small lots of people were sometimes advertised for sale at public houses throughout the city.

The newspaper articles below were written in the late 1600s. They use an old style of English language. Click on the cuttings to see the full article.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Do slaves have families?

Almost every slave that we know of was separated from his or her family. Olaudah Equiano, in his autobiography, shows how it felt to be separated from your family and sold to strangers.

Why is slavery mostly done to young children?

Slavery was perpetrated on young and old alike, but in London during the 17th and 18th century, the fashion for young black slaves and servants was prevalent amongst the British upper classes. 

How did people become slaves?

Most slaves had been captured or bought from the west coast of Africa. Sometimes they came from East Africa, and there is an example in this display of a slave from India. Most slaves were shipped across the Atlantic in conditions so appalling that over 25% of them died.

How much did they cost?

Olaudah Equiano recalls paying £40 for his freedom in the 1760s. Prices for people would have varied according to their skills and origins.

Did slaves get paid for what they were doing?

Slaves were unpaid. The work that the slaves undertook resulted in big profits for their owners.

What did they wear?

Masters would sometimes put brass or silver collars on their slaves for easy identification. 

Where were the slaves from and why were they black slaves?

Almost all slaves found in London came from Africa. However, not all black people were slaves. Many black Londoners were free people. Some slaves were also young people from South Asia.

How did slaves survive when they ran away?

Runaways often went to communities where they could pass unnoticed. These places were usually in the central London areas of St Giles, Paddington, or in East London's dockside parishes.

What happened to slaves who gained their freedom?

A handful slaves who gained their freedom became respected members of society, either as writers or business people. Many more worked as servants or were seamen.

What is the connection of London's East End to the Slave trade?

Shadwell, Wapping, Whitechapel and Limehouse had black populations because of their closeness to the docks. Many slave ship captains also lived in the area surrounding Ropemakers Fields in Limehouse. Many of them had young people working for them as well as young people for sale.

Read more to find out about how this exhibition was put together by pupils from Swanlea Secondary School.

Read about activities to do at home or at school...

Find out more about the history of slavery and abolition...